ACR Electronics Nauticast AIS-300 Product Support Manual
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ACR Electronics Nauticast AIS-300 Product Support Manual

Class b automatic identification system
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  • Page 2 If you have questions regarding the contents of the manual, please contact our Technical Service Department at ACR Electronics, Inc., Telephone +1 (954) 981- 3333. Please be ready to provide the technician with the page number you wish to discuss. If you have a question that is not covered in the manual, please visit our website and access the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section for further information or call our Technical Services Department.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents SECTION 1 - WHAT IS AIS? ____________________________________________________________ 4 SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION ___________________________________________________________ 6 SECTION 3 - USING THE TRANSPONDER ________________________________________________ 20 SECTION 4 - MAINTENANCE _________________________________________________________ 22 APPENDIX A - SERIAL DATA INTERFACE _________________________________________________ 22 APPENDIX B - SPECIFICATIONS AND WARNINGS __________________________________________ 28 APPENDIX C - SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM ________________________________________________ 29 APPENDIX D - DATA POWER CABLE INFORMATION _______________________________________ 30 APPENDIX E - SUPPORT, WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE and NOTICES _____________________________ 31...

  • Page 4: Section 1 - What Is Ais

    SECTION 1 - WHAT IS AIS? Overview AIS is an acronym for Automatic Identification System. AIS increases navigational safety and collision avoidance by transmitting vessel identification, helping to reduce the difficulty of identifying ships when not in sight (e.g. at night, in radar blind arcs or shadows or at distance) by broadcasting navigational intentions to other vessels by providing ID, position, course, speed and other ship data with all other nearby ships and land based stations.
  • Page 5 On the bottom, a typical Nauticast™-B AIS installation in a common environment is shown. The Nauticast™-B AIS is connected to the vessel‟s power supply, and, in connection with the VHF and GPS antennas, the minimal requirements for transponder operation are fulfilled. Both vessels in the above illustration are equipped with an AIS transceiver.

  • Page 6: Section 2 - Installation

    Once the static data is programmed into an AIS Transponder it can only be corrected by ACR Electronics. Please check that the static data are entered carefully. If the static data are incorrectly programmed the transponder will need to be returned to ACR for factory reset.
  • Page 7 Installation overview and prerequisites In the United States WARNING: It is a violation of the rules of the Federal Communications Commission to input an MMSI that has not been properly assigned to the end user, or to otherwise input any inaccurate data in this device.
  • Page 8 Or, when you have downloaded an upgrade: Unzip the package when necessary and start the installer program as described in “Installation of the Link2AIS™ Software” (later in this section). If one of the following dialogs is shown when the installation process is started, the .NET® framework and/or the Windows®...
  • Page 9 When you are not connected to the internet, an error message like the one below will be shown. From the CD If you do not want to download the .NET® framework from the Microsoft website, terminate the download process by clicking the “Cancel” button in the download dialog box and install the package directly from the CD.
  • Page 10 When the installation process has finished, you MUST reboot your computer in order to install the Link2AIS™ Software: Installation of the Link2AIS™ Software Unzip the downloaded package when necessary. Locate the files “setup.exe” and the accompanying “msi” file, then double-click on “setup.exe” The installation process of the application starts with the Welcome screen: Y1-03-0222 Rev.
  • Page 11 A dialog box will appear reminding you to uninstall any prior versions of the Link2AIS™ software (if applicable) before continuing the install process. Read through and accept the license agreement and click Next. Y1-03-0222 Rev. C...
  • Page 12 The next screen will allow you to pick options to be installed. These options are checked by default. Choose a directory where the software will be installed. Make note of this directory, as you will need to manually copy files to this location later on in the install process. Y1-03-0222 Rev.
  • Page 13 The software will ask you to choose a location in the Start menu to place the program‟s shortcuts: The next screen will ask you to confirm the install settings you have provided in the previous steps: Y1-03-0222 Rev. C...
  • Page 14 Now the application will install automatically in the folder you have chosen: The install program will tell you when installation has been completed. Click Finish. Finally, find the Coastlines folder on the installation CD and copy to the install directory chosen during the install process.
  • Page 15 You will find the installed program shortcuts in the Start Menu / All Programs/ ACR Electronics directory (unless you chose a different location during the install process). A shortcut named “Link2AIS” will be placed on your desktop. Use either shortcut to launch the program.
  • Page 16 Start up Link2AIS™ Software program on PC. The initial application screen will appear as shown: The application requires a serial connection to a Nauticast™-B AIS transponder. Connect the transponder to an available serial port. If your serial port is not located in the drop down box, select „New…‟ and create a new connection.
  • Page 17 A warning will be displayed asking you to verify the MMSI number. The static data (including the MMSI) can only be changed by ACR Electronics once programmed into the transponder. Please check that the number displayed is correct before proceeding. If the number is incorrect click the 'No' button to cancel programming of the MMSI.
  • Page 18 For additional software applications unrelated to the installation, please refer to the Link2AIS™ Software user guide for technical support. Hardware installation WARNING: The compass safe distance of this unit is 0.5m or greater for 0.3° deviation. WARNING: Do not connect the Nauticast™-B AIS unit to a main (line) AC electrical supply, as an electric shock or fire hazard could result.
  • Page 19 If using PC serial terminal with third party AIS capable Electronic Charting Software, connect the user end of the data interface cable to the display device. The software in the display device must be configured for AIS operation AND to accept standard Class B AIS operation NMEA sentences. This external display unit software is not part of the Nauticast™-B AIS transponder package.

  • Page 20: Section 3 - Using The Transponder

    The GPS antenna has a free view through 360 degrees with a vertical angle of 5 to 90 degrees above the horizon. The GNSS antenna is placed as far away as possible from radar, Inmarsat and Iridium transmitters. Also ensure that the GPS antenna is free from direct view of the radar and the Inmarsat beam. The received GPS signal is very sensitive to noise and interference generated by other onboard transmitters.
  • Page 21 If the red LED illuminates continuously, the unit should be assumed to be faulty. It should either be switched off (power removed) or, if this is not practical, any other vessel position information derived from the unit should not be used. It should also be assumed that the unit is not transmitting valid position information for your vessel. The unit should be examined by a competent equipment maintainer at the earliest opportunity.

  • Page 22: Section 4 - Maintenance

    TX timeout This is a yellow LED which indicates when lit that the CSTDMA transmitter is prevented from transmitting. Reasons for this include the following: The transponder‟s internal GPS receiver is not yet ready. The yellow LED will go out and the green LED will light when GPS receiver is ready.
  • Page 23 Data A minimum keypad and display (MKD) unit, chart plotter or other display device may be connected to the Nauticast™-B AIS unit via the appropriate cable assembly. The default baud rate of the data link is 38.4k baud with 8 data bits, one stop bit and no parity. The data interface conforms to IEC 61162-1.
  • Page 24 NOTE 2 The sequential message identifier provides a message identification number from 0 to 9 that is sequentially assigned and is incremented for each new multi-sentence message. The count resets to 0 after 9 is used. For a message requiring multiple sentences, each sentence of the message contains the same sequential message identification number.
  • Page 25 VHF data link own vessel messages (NMEA 0183 VDO) This message describes your own vessel message being sent. VDO message format !--VDO,x1,x2,x3,a,s--s,x*hh<CR><LF> field 1 2 3 4 5 6 Field Format Description Total number of sentences needed to transfer the message Sentence number Sequential message identifier AIS Channel, "A"...
  • Page 26 Regional Assignment Channel Assignment Message (NMEA 0183 ACA) A Nauticast™-B unit can receive regional channel management information in two ways: ITU-R M.1371 message 22 or a DSC telecommand received on channel 70. Channel management information is applied based upon the actual location of the AIS device. An AIS unit is “using” channel management information when the information is being used to manage the operation of the VHF receiver and/or transmitter inside the AIS unit.
  • Page 27 AIS alarm messages (NMEA 0183 ALR, Text) Local alarm condition and status. This sentence is used to report an alarm condition on a device and its current state of acknowledgement. ALR message format !-- ALR,hhmmss.ss,xxx,A,A,c--c*hh<CR><LF> field 1 2 3 4 5 Field Format Description...

  • Page 28: Appendix B - Specifications And Warnings

    APPENDIX B - SPECIFICATIONS AND WARNINGS Specifications Parameter Dimensions Weight Power GPS Receiver (AIS Internal) Electrical Interfaces Connectors Cable – Power/Data VHF Transceiver AIS1: 161.975 MHz AIS2: 162.025 MHz Output Power Channel Bandwidth Channel Step Modulation Modes Bit rate RX Sensitivity Environmental Indicators Operator Controls...

  • Page 29: Appendix C - System Block Diagram

    Warnings WARNING regarding VHF antenna connection: Connecting a badly mismatched VHF antenna, leaving the VHF antenna port disconnected, or shorting the VHF antenna port will activate the VSWR alarm, causing the unit to stop sending position reports or causing damage to the transponder and activating the red LED. WARNING regarding radio frequency exposure: To meet the requirements for Radio Frequency Exposure it is necessary to install the VHF antenna correctly and operate the AIS equipment according to the instructions.

  • Page 30: Appendix D - Data Power Cable Information

    APPENDIX D - DATA POWER CABLE INFORMATION Class B A2-07-0196-1 DATA POWER CABLE Description DB15 12V + 12V - RS422 TX A RS422 RX A RS422 TX B RS422 RX B SW1GND SW1 Switch RS232 TX RS232 RX Note: Connectors J1 and J2 have shielded jackets with ground connection to metal shell of connector. Cable 2 and Cable 3 have staggered length clipped conductors to prevent shorting and are capped with heat shrink.

  • Page 31: Appendix E - Support, Warranty, Useful Life And Notices

    This product is warranted against factory defects in material and workmanship for a period of 1 (one) year* from date of purchase or receipt as a gift. During the warranty period ACR Electronics, Inc. will repair or, at its option, replace the unit at no cost to you for labor, materials and return transportation from ACR.
  • Page 32 EC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY ACR Electronics, Inc. hereby declares that the following product is in conformity with Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on Radio equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE), and has been type examined as follows. In accordance with the Directive, the...

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Nauticast y1-03-0222Ais-b - rev cNauticast-b ais 300Nauticast-b ais-300

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